Tears in the eyes of Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal during the retirement of his arch-rival Roger Federer spoke words about their iconic rivalry. However, that also means that the two players pushed each other to their best, as per Mats Wilander. The former world no. 1 Swedish player is now a tennis analyst and has not minced his words while criticizing Roger Federer.

Obviously one of the greatest admirers of Federer, Wilander once crossed a line with his words after the French Open in 2006. And Federer made sure Wilander realized his mistake.

Roger Federer made Mats Wilander apologize for his careless statement 

The Swiss Maestro has won 20 Grand Slam titles during his glorious career. However, only one of them is from the French Open. The clay-court season was not Federer’s favorite and was Nadal’s forte. So when Federer faced a four-set defeat at the 2006 French Open against Nadal, Wilander did not go easy with his words. As mentioned in the book, ‘The Roger Federer Effect’ he stated, “I think Roger Federer, today, unfortunately, came out with no b**ls. Sports are about b**ls and heart.”

His next statement was said in the heat of the moment which proved quite costly for him. Wilander said, “He might have them, but against Nadal, they shrink to a very small size, and it’s not once; it’s every time.” This was quite a bash that Federer must have read through. So, what led on was the consequence of Wilander’s words. The Swiss Maestro is known for his amiable nature but he started to avoid Wilander at tournaments.

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Wilander picked up on the cold treatment and realized his mistake. Though the intention was to be a wake-up call for Federer, he realized the choice of words was wrong. Eventually, when he held an interview with him, Federer mentioned, “Some people think I have a Nadal syndrome.”

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Wiladner found the opportunity and apologized to the player right away. He stated, “Okay, Roger, I think I’m one of them. want to apologize for using the words I used when I tried to make my point.” 

Keeping his chivalry intact, he forgave Wilander and they eventually had a good relationship after that. Coming from Federer, this cold treatment is undoubtedly new. However, it showed that even the Swiss Maestro has his limits.

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